Integrated Logistic
Support (ILS) is a structured, co-ordinated and iterative approach
to the procurement of supportability of systems whether they
are bespoke or off-the-shelf. The increasing cost of system
ownership has led major customers to apply the principles of
ILS to all new projects as a mater of policy.

The objectives
of ILS are to:

Ensure that
supportability considerations influence the design of a system
or, where this is already fixed, to define the impact of the
design on supportability

Identify and
develop support requirements which are related to system design
and readiness objectives

Acquire the
necessary support

Provide the
required support in-service at the optimum Life-cycle Cost

ILS ensures that
all the elements contributing to the support of a system are
defined, analysed and costed for their impact on supportability.
The elements included in ILS are:

Packaging, Handling,
Storage & Transportation (relating to the support process)

ILS should normally
be conducted as a collaborative effort by the system customer
and the system supplier. Design for support can be optimised
only if there is a thorough understanding of the structure,
skills and costs of the support processes.